Halloween Chex Mix
by Halloween Chex Mix with Chocolate and Cinnamon Chex baked in a maple-brown sugar coating, then loaded with pretzels, peanuts, Reese’s Pieces and candy corn.
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The Chex Aisle Had Too Many Options, So We Chose Two
There were SO many flavors of Chex at the store when we developed this Halloween Chex Mix. Rather than choose just one, we settled on a combination of Chocolate Chex and Cinnamon Chex, which turned out to be exactly right.
The cereal gets baked with butter, maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon first, so this isn’t simply a bowl of cereal with Halloween candy dumped into it. The coating gets crisp and caramelized around the Chex, while all of the chocolate and candy stays intact because it’s added after the cereal cools.
Best of all, this one came out exactly how we wanted it on the first try. It’s sweet, salty, crunchy and unapologetically Halloween. Set out a big bowl at a party, package it up for friends, or add it to a spread of our Halloween Food Ideas.
Why You Will Love This Halloween Chex Mix
- The cereal itself tastes good. Butter, maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon bake onto the Chex instead of leaving all the flavor up to the candy.
- Two Chex flavors make it more interesting. Chocolate Chex brings the cocoa flavor while Cinnamon Chex reinforces the warm cinnamon-maple coating.
- It’s made for Halloween parties. This Halloween snack mix can be made ahead, sits happily at room temperature and makes a generous batch for a crowd.
Halloween Chex Mix Recipe Ingredients
A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.
- Chocolate Chex and Cinnamon Chex – using both makes the cereal mixture interesting before we even add the coating. Chocolate makes it dessert-y, while Cinnamon Chex works especially well with the maple syrup and brown sugar.
- unsalted butter – carries the maple-cinnamon coating over every piece of cereal and helps it crisp in the oven.
- maple syrup and light brown sugar – work together to make a glossy coating that bakes onto the cereal. Maple syrup adds more flavor than simply using extra sugar would.
- ground cinnamon – reinforces the Cinnamon Chex and gives the entire mixture warm fall flavor.
- kosher salt – important in a mix this sweet. It keeps the maple, chocolate and candy from becoming cloying.
- vanilla extract – add it after the saucepan comes off the heat so its flavor stays noticeable.
- chocolate-covered pretzels – bring both chocolate and salty crunch without requiring us to coat the entire Chex mix in melted chocolate. Use the white chocolate kind for this sweet Chex mix if you prefer.
- Reese’s Pieces – peanut butter and chocolate belong here, and their orange, yellow and brown shells happen to do most of the Halloween decorating for us.
- salted roasted peanuts – another salty element that balances all of the candy and gives the mixture a heartier crunch.
- candy corn and mellowcreme pumpkins – yes, both. They’re unmistakably Halloween and give the finished mix its festive color.
How To Make Halloween Chex Mix
- COMBINE. Gently toss the Chocolate Chex and Cinnamon Chex together in a very large bowl.
- SIMMER. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then stir in the maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Bring it to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 minute. Take it off the heat before adding the vanilla.
- COAT. Pour the warm butter mixture over the cereal and gently fold everything together until the Chex is evenly coated.
- BAKE + COOL. Spread the cereal across a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking pan and bake at 275 degrees F for 45 minutes, gently turning the mixture every 15 minutes. Let the cereal cool completely on the pan. Give it a gentle stir once or twice while it cools so you end up with individual crunchy pieces rather than giant clusters.
- FINISH. Transfer the cooled cereal to a clean bowl and add the chocolate-covered pretzels, Reese’s Pieces, peanuts, candy corn and mellowcreme pumpkins.
Halloween Snack Mix Home Chef Tips
- Use your biggest bowl. Eight cups of cereal plus the coating needs plenty of room. A very large bowl lets you fold everything together without pulverizing the Chex.
- Keep the oven low. At 275 degrees F, the maple-brown sugar mixture has time to dry and crisp onto the cereal without scorching the sugar.
- Cool the cereal completely before adding the candy. Warm cereal can soften the chocolate on the pretzels and Reese’s Pieces. Once the cereal is cool, everything stays distinct and crunchy.
- Stir while it cools if you want a loose Halloween party mix. The sugar coating naturally wants to form clusters. Breaking those apart once or twice gives you a mixture that’s easier to scoop and snack on.
Make Ahead And Storage
- Make Ahead: Halloween Chex Mix is an ideal make-ahead party snack. Prepare the full mixture several days before your party and store it tightly covered at room temperature.
- Store: Keep the mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Avoid refrigerating it, since condensation can make the cereal and pretzels lose their crunch.
FAQ
The candy and chocolate-covered pretzels can’t withstand 45 minutes in the oven. Baking only the cereal allows the maple-brown sugar coating to become crisp, while adding everything else after cooling keeps the chocolate and candy intact.
Yes. We especially like the combination of Chocolate Chex and Cinnamon Chex because both flavors complement the maple-cinnamon coating, but another crunchy Chex variety can be substituted if that’s what you have.
Bake it for the full 45 minutes, cool it completely before storing, and keep it in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. Moisture is the enemy of crunchy snack mix.
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Halloween Chex Mix
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Ingredients
- 5 cups Chocolate Chex
- 3 cups Cinnamon Chex
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups chocolate-covered pretzels
- 1 ¼ cups Reese’s Pieces 9 ounce bag
- 1 cup salted roasted peanuts
- ¾ cup candy corn
- ¾ cup mellowcreme pumpkins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
- In very large bowl, gently toss Chocolate Chex and Cinnamon Chex until well combined.
- Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Heat to gentle simmer and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture and gently stir until all cereal is evenly coated.
- Spread cereal mixture in even layer on prepared pan. Transfer to oven and bake 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool completely on baking sheet, stirring once or twice as it cools to prevent large clusters from forming.
- Transfer cooled cereal mixture to large clean bowl. Add pretzels, Reese’s Pieces, peanuts, candy corn and mellowcreme pumpkins and stir until well combined.
- Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
